Human Rights and Gender Equality in Health Sector Strategies: How to Assess Policy Coherence

Publish Year
2011
Publisher
World Health Organization
Description

This tool, developed in collaboration between WHO, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) is designed to support countries to strengthen national health strategies.

The tool poses critical questions to identify gaps and opportunities in the review or reform of health sector strategies. Analysis tables include critical questions rooted in international human rights and gender equality principles to trace country commitments and obligations through:

1) international commitments (Assessment level 1); 2) national legal and policy frameworks (Assessment level 2), and 3) health sector strategies (Assessment level 3).  

The third Assessment level includes analysis tables dedicated to each building block of a health system in addition to an overarching table that maps out process issues when developing a health sector strategy. All Assessment levels aim to enable national health teams to identify gaps and entry points for reducing health inequities through upholding State commitments and obligations on human rights, gender equality and health.